Mumbai: After an exciting run in the ICC World T20 group stage, India will now face West Indies in the semi-finals at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on March 31.
After facing a shocking 47-run defeat against New Zealand in their inaugural match, the Men in Blue bounced back to win the high-voltage clash against arch-rivals Pakistan by six wickets.
The hosts then faced stiff competition from Bangladesh but won the crucial tie by one run in a nail-biting thriller. In the knock-out berth clash against Australia on Sunday, Virat Kohli overshadowed the Australian attack and led India into the semi-finals of the World T20, beating the guests by six wickets.
West Indies, on the other hand, have put up a display of fearless cricket throughout the tournament, registering three consecutive wins against England, Sri Lanka and South Africa to enter into the semis. They, however, faced unexpected defeat from Afghanistan in their group stage match by six runs.
The wicket at Wankhede Stadium is helpful for spinners as well as pacers. However, it tends to ease out and become batting-friendly as the inning progresses. Out of the total 24 matches played here, the team batting first has won 10 matches, whereas team batting second has won seven times.
India and West Indies, till now, have faced each other four times in T20 cricket in which both have registered two wins each.
Caribbean run-machine Chris Gayle seems to be a big danger for the Indian team. Gayle has batted in three innings against India in T20 cricket and has made 154 runs with an average of more than 51.
Also, he is in sublime form in the ongoing World T20 and smashed a century off just 48 balls against England on March 15 that included 11 sixes.
Another big worry for Team India will be of their openers failing to provide a good start. If India needs to clinch the world title the second time, they need to put a big score on the board.
Other than Virat Kohli, even the middle order has been unable to score runs till now. If Virat fails to perform in the semi-final, the situation can be very unlikely for the hosts.
Indian bowling and fielding seem to be on the right track. Both the spinners and pacers have performed well throughout the tournament. We have also seen some spectacular catches and arobatic fielding from the Indian side.
